Dads Birthday Trifle Cake

Harvest and my Dads birthday always clash so this year I decided to make a combine friendly version of his favourite dessert. A trifle cake. Admittedly, the finished product is still a little tricky to eat in a moving vehicle (let alone a combine) but he loved it! So layer them up and try this scrummy cake!

Ingredients for the cake:

400g butter

400g caster sugar

1tsp baking powder

8 eggs

4tbsp coconut cream*

400g self raising flour

* if you can’t find coconut cream (which I couldn’t) then use coconut milk. Open the tin but do not mix it together and scoop out the hardened milk.

Ingredients for the fillings and topping:

8tbsp icing sugar

500ml readymade custard

8tbsp white rum

Juice and zest of 2 lime

400g raspberries

200g raspberry jam

150ml double cream

Desiccated coconut for sprinkling on top (optional)

Method:

1. Heat oven to 180c and grease and line two 20cm cake tins (or bake one after the other).

2. Beat all the ingredients for the cake together, apart from the self raising flour. Once they are all combined and the mixture is smooth sift in the self raising flour and fold in.

3. Separate the mixture evenly into the two tins. Or you can halve the ingredients and make it in two batches to make it more manageable. Bake for around 40 minutes.

4. Whilst baking prepare the custard filling. Whisk together the remaining hardened coconut milk (discard the coconut water) and sifted icing sugar. Bring the custard to the boil and quickly whisk in the coconut mixture. Allow to thicken on the heat and then cool in the fridge.

5. To make the drizzle for the layers mix the white rum, lime zest and juice and 4 tbsp icing sugar.

6. Cut one of the cakes horizontally into two. These are your top two layers. Leave the remaining cake to be the base.

7. Line the cake tin with a little oil and cling film. Place the base cake into the tin and sprinkle with some of the rum mixture. Mix the jam and 150g of the raspberries together and spread on top of the base. Don’t let the name mixture go right to the edge.

8. Put in the next layer of cake and top with more of the rum mixture. Then spread over the custard.

9. Finally, add the last layer and sprinkle with the last of the rum mixture. Put in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set.

10. When you are ready to serve, whisk the cream with 1tbsp of icing sugar. Allow to thicken so that it will spread onto the top of the cake and stay. Once the cream has been spread on top, add the raspberries and desiccated coconut.